Every year millions of pumpkins around the world are the victims of tooth loss due to physical trauma, decay and improper 'carving'. The Pumpkin Tooth Replacement Project seeks to provide low cost 3D printed replacement teeth as a means of addressing this global problem.

The purpose of this Thing is to serve as a prompt for a simulation of a global health initiative. Global change can be difficult to study/model in the time scale of a school year or the resource constraints of a classroom. Determining the causes and size of a problem, designing a solutions and implementing an action plan on a real health issue would be very difficult. The Pumpkin Tooth Replacement Project prompt provides a concrete scenario that allows students to collect authentic data, design working solutions and then implement the plan. For details about this classroom project idea, please visit http://designmaketeach.com/2013/10/21/pumpkin-tooth-replacement-project/

Pumpkin Moustache: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:172729

If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to leave them in the comments or contact me on Twitter @designmaketeach or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DesignMakeTeach.

Chicklet style pumpkin tooth implant was created in Tinkercad from basic cube and roof shape. Styled to match traditional square shaped pumpkin teeth. The tooth can be scaled to meet the dimension of the pumpkin patient and 3D printed to create a customized and low cost replacement. The 3D printed tooth itself should prove to be durable enough to last for the entire life span of the pumpkin.

The tooth as currently designed is not optimized and it is hoped that the 3D Printer community will develop superior alternatives that can be quickly implemented globally.

Warning: Care should be taken NOT to expose 3D printed parts to open flames. LED style lights are recommended as a light source.*